First year went by ‘very fast’Back in October, Russellville Mayor Randy Horton remembered he was putting information together and realized the city had done a lot in 2015, but it was almost over. Horton, scheduled to give the annual State of the City Address at the City Council’s Feb. 18 meeting, said the year 2016 could be very exciting for the city of Russellville — in more ways than one. “There are three high-profile projects that didn’t get started, construction began ...

Price bids next step for aquatic centerRussellville Mayor Randy Horton said Friday he hoped the next step in the construction of the city’s future aquatic center is to start bidding the project later this month. ETC Architects Inc. of Little Rock met with Fire Marshal Richard Setian and Community Development Director Brian Holstein prior to Friday’s meeting Pool Committee for the Russellville Aquatic Center. Their concerns centered around one of the questions that arose after last ...

Pope JPs discuss overtime hoursMembers of the Pope County Quorum Court’s Personnel Committee discussed employee overtime for half an hour prior to Thursday’s regular meeting inside the Russellville courthouse. Justice of the Peace Lane Scott said one expense that is not budgeted is overtime. He suggested that every department head should report overtime on a monthly basis on a spreadsheet everyone could access, such as Google Docs. County Clerk Laura McGuire said she would ...

Voters can pick terms on councilFor many years, members of the Russellville City Council have served two-year terms. In November, voters in the general election will decide if they want their aldermen to continue serving two-year terms or vote for four-year staggered terms. The City Council voted 6-2 during its Jan. 21 meeting on an ordinance that would give voters the option to change their positions from the current 2-year terms to staggered 4-year terms. Alderman Robert W...

Dardanelle Chamber receives $2,000 grantDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council conducted its monthly meeting for February to consider an ordinance, bids for the mowing of Brearley Cemetery and a grant from the Arkansas Parks and Recreation. An ordinance for a drug free workplace was passed Monday night. Also approved was a bid of $23,500 from Sidney Johnston to mow Brearley Cemetery. A grant for the Chamber of Commerce in the amount of $2,000 from the Arkansas Department of Parks ...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

County worker raises approvedThe Pope County Quorum Court approved a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for full-time county employees during its regular meeting Thursday. Judge Jim Ed Gibson said a cost-of-living increase wasn’t passed in the 2016 budget, because it was unknown how the tax revenues and county turnback would turn out. The judge said there was about $1.1 million in unappropriated funds that does not include $1.1 million in the Surplus Investment Fund (SIF),...

Hutchinson calls meeting on Medicaid a ‘good start’LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is calling his meeting with federal officials this week a “good start” to his proposal to add new limitations to the state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion. The Republican governor told reporters Thursday he’ll give lawmakers more details at a hearing Feb. 17 on the negotiations to keep the expansion and add new restrictions on its eligibility and limits. The “private option” expansion uses federal money t...

JPs mull 3 percent employee pay raiseThe Pope County Quorum Court’s Budget Committee has been asked by Judge Jim Ed Gibson to consider a 3 percent salary increase for employees when it convenes at 5 p.m. today. The Budget Committee meeting is one of three meetings today. The Personnel Committee will convene at 4:30 p.m., then the full Quorum Court will meet at 5:30. Treasurer Donna Wall told the Budget Committee during its first meeting of 2016 that gross sales tax receipts for t...

The failure of multiculturalismJust as radar warns of approaching storms, so does the flood of migrants entering Europe warn us of a deluge yet to come, not only for Europeans, if they continue to allow unrestricted immigration, but for the United States. Reports that women in Cologne, Germany, have been groped and robbed by men described by authorities as having “a North African or Arabic” appearance should be warning enough, but there are other and more ominous warnings t...

Historic district ordinance reviewedRussellville city and downtown officials met with the Russellville Historic District Commission (RHDC) Tuesday at City Hall to work on amending Ordinance 2023 that will make the commission’s efforts more efficient and user-friendly. City Attorney Trey Smith said he would take the recommended changes and rewrite the ordinance and get it to commissioners before their regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, where they plan to select offi...

Generals say women should have to register for draft WASHINGTON — The top Army and Marine Corps generals told senators Tuesday that it will take up to three years to fully integrate women into all combat jobs, adding that women also should have to register for the draft. The military service leaders repeatedly vowed that they will not lower standards to bring women into the more grueling jobs. But they warned that inherent physical differences and different injury rates between men and women wil...

Benton County sheriff charged with tampering with a record BENTONVILLE — Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck has been formally charged with felony tampering with a public record and misdemeanor tampering. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1P2xlDy ) reports that Cradduck was charged Monday. Cradduck was arrested Jan. 19. He is accused of ordering his staff to backdate the hiring date of a jail employee to pay him for time when he wasn't an employee and of instructing his secretary to lie t...

Alderman to meet with city commissionersRussellville City Council Alderman Richard Harris has called a meeting for 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall with members of the Russellville Downtown Historic Commission in reference to an ordinance the council introduced at its January meeting. The ordinance, which was tabled after discussion during the Jan. 21 meeting, would amend Ordinance 2023, which established procedures for the protection and preservation of the character of and properties ...

Social Security’s online services secureLITTLE ROCK — “There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it?” This winter, Americans of all generations are awakening to the newest film in the Star Wars franchise, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Many readers probably remember seeing the first Star Wars film in theaters in 1977. Audiences watched with fascination at the advanced technology used by the Jedi and Sith in a galaxy far, far away. We still don’t have interstellar travel, personal ro...

Pottsville council evaluates dog lawPOTTSVILLE — Emotions were high Monday night at the Pottsville City Council meeting when discussion of possibly banning pit bulls began. Patricia Cossey addressed the council and submitted pictures of the most recent attack on her husband and Westie by a neighborhood pit bull. “My husband and I like to take short walks but because of two very traumatic experiences just in two and a half years with pit bulls, I feel it is my duty and obligation...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Planning officers selectedThe Russellville Planning Commission made their selection of officers for 2016 pretty easy — they were the same as they were in 2015. Dennis Boyd was unanimously elected chairman, Doug Skelton was named vice chairman and Wendell Miller was selected as secretary. Commissioners voted to recommend approval to rezone property at 520 N. Elmira Ave. from C-2 (Highway Commercial) to R-2 (Medium Density Residential). Dave Garza of Barrett & Associates...

Obama seeks $12 billion for child nutrition needsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress for $12 billion over a decade to help feed millions of schoolchildren from low-income families during the summer, the White House said Wednesday. The request will be in the 2017 budget proposal Obama plans to send lawmakers on Feb. 9. Nearly 22 million low-income children receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, but just a fraction of those kids receive meals when sc...

Community photo: CASA volunteers swear inJudge Ken Coker Jr. swore in Vickie McLaughlin and Jason Muncy as CASA volunteers — court-appointed special advocates for abused and neglected children — on Dec. 21 in the Pope County Courthouse. Family and friends gathered to watch the volunteers take an oath, promising to advocate for the best interest of children. The newly appointed CASA volunteers joined 42 other dedicated community members who have been trained and are advocating for fos...

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THE COURIER / SubmittedThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Metropolitan EMS to buy body armor for Little Rock medics LITTLE ROCK — Four days after the fatal shooting of a central Arkansas firefighter, the Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services has made plans to buy ballistic vests for its medics. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1PDGdTD ) that the proposal received strong support at the Little Rock Ambulance Authority meeting Tuesday. At the meeting, the agency's director of operations showed a lightweight ballistic vest made of Kevlar f...

Dover talks mini-housesDOVER — Inquiry concerning the city’s building code’s stance on mini-houses and a clarification of the city’s ward structure were the two major topics at the Dover City Council’s recent monthly meeting. Mayor Pat Johnson told the council he and Ron Walker, chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, had previously mentioned the “tiny homes” of extremely limited square footage that are becoming more and more common, and wondered if any provisio...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley